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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. current — of water
  2. pitch — completely
  3. band — a music group
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cue — for pool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — to cut
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. band — a ring
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cue — a signal
  17. current — happening now
  18. stock — shares
  19. bound — certain
  20. chair — a leader
  21. current — electric
  22. cue — a hint
  23. clip — a video
  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