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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. last — final
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — shares
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. current — happening now
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. current — of water
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. craft — boats
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. last — to go on
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. last — finally
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — goods

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