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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spring — a coil
  3. race — humankind
  4. can — a tin
  5. race — a contest
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. can — to be able to
  11. race — the arms race
  12. net — after costs
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. can — a tin
  24. mark — to pay attention

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