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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. season — in sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. capital — a city
  6. plane — a tool
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stand — to bear
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stock — goods
  13. board — to get on
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — money
  19. board — a committee
  20. season — of the year
  21. current — of water
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. current — happening now

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