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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. current — happening now
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — electric
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — of water
  8. race — the arms race
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — goods
  21. race — humankind
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. race — a contest

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