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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — obliged
  4. current — electric
  5. track — a song
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stock — shares
  9. current — of water
  10. track — to keep track
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — a line
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — tied together
  24. track — a path

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