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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — electric
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. club — for dancing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — a group
  9. board — a committee
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — goods
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. board — to get on
  14. current — happening now
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. current — of water
  22. club — for golf
  23. stock — shares
  24. capital — money

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