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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — of water
  3. club — for dancing
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — goods
  10. cold — not warm
  11. object — a thing
  12. stock — shares
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. club — for golf
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — to point toward

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