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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: last · chest · safe · game · pass · stand · current · stock

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. last — finally
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chest — a box
  6. last — to go on
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. game — a match
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. last — final
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. current — happening now
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — of water
  23. stock — goods
  24. current — electric

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