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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · stock · land · pop · track · current · pass · board

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. board — a committee
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. land — to come down
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — goods
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. board — to get on
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — a path
  16. land — ground
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — a song
  20. stock — shares
  21. track — to keep track
  22. current — of water
  23. pass — a permit
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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