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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. net — after costs
  8. current — of water
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. club — for dancing
  11. tube — a container
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. current — electric
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. scale — in music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — size or range
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. club — a group
  20. net — for catching
  21. tube — the underground
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — goods

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com