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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. object — an aim
  7. bat — the animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stock — goods
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. last — final
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stock — shares
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. cell — in biology
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cell — a phone

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