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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. current — happening now
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — of water
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitch — completely
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stock — goods
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. current — electric
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — a trail
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. scale — for weighing

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