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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: stock · current · wax · last · march · pit · suit · clip

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. march — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. clip — to cut
  5. current — happening now
  6. march — the month
  7. current — of water
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. clip — a video
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — finally
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wax — to grow
  18. march — the month
  19. current — electric
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. stock — goods
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. suit — in cards

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