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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. current — electric
  3. chest — a box
  4. firm — decided
  5. last — to go on
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. capital — money
  10. current — of water
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. firm — a company
  13. lean — thin
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. stock — goods
  17. firm — steady
  18. current — happening now
  19. stock — shares
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. capital — a city
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. chest — of your body

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