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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bound — certain
  7. current — electric
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. race — a contest
  11. pit — in a race
  12. staff — employees
  13. current — of water
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bound — tied together
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stock — shares
  18. cue — a signal
  19. current — happening now
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — a hole
  22. race — humankind
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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