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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: cold · can · stock · saw · current · board · net · coach

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. board — to get on
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — for catching
  5. cold — not warm
  6. current — electric
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. net — in sport
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — after costs
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — a committee
  18. stock — shares
  19. can — to be able to
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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