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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. current — happening now
  6. land — a country
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. field — for sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. current — electric
  16. field — farmland
  17. current — of water
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — a trail
  20. field — a subject
  21. hand — help
  22. stock — goods
  23. land — ground
  24. hand — in cards

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