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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a path
  4. board — a committee
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. track — to keep track
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. track — a song
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. row — a line
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. current — electric
  15. board — to get on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. bulb — for light
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. saw — the tool
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stock — shares
  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