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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rule — government
  3. stock — goods
  4. current — happening now
  5. stock — shares
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — in sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. current — electric
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — a law
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. net — for catching
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — the tool

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