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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. race — humankind
  5. stock — goods
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — a stick
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. race — a contest
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — employees
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stock — shares
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. current — electric
  24. race — the arms race

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