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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. court — of law
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. court — for sport
  8. current — happening now
  9. stock — goods
  10. bank — of a river
  11. court — of a king
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bank — for money
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. current — of water

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