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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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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bass — low music
  4. last — to go on
  5. current — of water
  6. last — final
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. land — ground
  11. current — happening now
  12. bass — the fish
  13. last — finally
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. present — the time now
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. present — there
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. cue — a hint
  24. present — a gift

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