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

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rock — music
  13. band — a ring
  14. rock — a stone
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. key — for a lock

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