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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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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: rest · suit · content · stock · current · land · arm · face

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. suit — to fit
  3. current — electric
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rest — a break
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — to confront
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — to come down
  10. content — the amount
  11. land — ground
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stock — shares
  14. rest — what's left
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — clothes
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. current — happening now
  19. land — a country
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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