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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. current — electric
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tube — the underground
  5. season — of the year
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — happening now
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. last — finally
  13. tube — a container
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stock — shares
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. cold — an illness
  21. last — final
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. current — of water

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