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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rest — a break
  4. cue — a signal
  5. current — electric
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — of a king
  8. current — of water
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a path
  12. board — a committee
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. court — for sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — happening now
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cue — for pool
  22. court — of law
  23. board — to get on
  24. stock — goods

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