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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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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: sharp · suit · current · wound · stock · hand · saw · last

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. current — electric
  3. last — finally
  4. suit — in cards
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — final
  7. hand — help
  8. stock — goods
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stock — shares
  14. current — of water
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — in cards
  24. last — to go on

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