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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stock — shares
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. firm — steady
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — electric
  14. ground — crushed
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. firm — a company
  19. stock — goods
  20. vault — a safe
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. current — happening now
  24. firm — decided

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