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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. board — a committee
  5. stock — shares
  6. face — to point toward
  7. current — electric
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. face — part of the head
  10. last — to go on
  11. face — to confront
  12. current — happening now
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. hand — help
  15. mate — a friend
  16. last — finally
  17. board — to get on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stock — goods
  20. mate — a partner
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. last — final
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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