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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. board — a committee
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stock — goods
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cap — a hat
  7. current — electric
  8. spell — a short time
  9. date — the fruit
  10. board — to get on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. spell — magic
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. cap — a lid
  18. row — to paddle
  19. current — happening now
  20. spell — letters
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. row — a line
  23. stock — shares
  24. row — a quarrel

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