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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rule — a law
  3. current — of water
  4. stock — goods
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — shares
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. firm — a company
  9. rule — government
  10. current — electric
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — for sport
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. field — farmland
  17. firm — steady
  18. current — happening now
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. kid — child
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rule — to rule out

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