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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stock — goods
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. key — in music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stock — shares
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. prune — to trim
  18. current — electric
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. current — happening now
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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