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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stock — shares
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. current — electric
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. race — humankind
  10. track — to keep track
  11. race — a contest
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. current — happening now
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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