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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — final
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. land — a country
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — goods
  14. last — to go on
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stock — shares

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