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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. land — to come down
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — boats
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. land — a country
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. land — ground
  19. current — electric
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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