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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. scale — size or range
  4. land — to come down
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. current — happening now
  9. stock — goods
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — ground
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — a list
  14. land — a country
  15. current — of water
  16. bass — the fish
  17. scale — in music
  18. stock — shares
  19. hand — help
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bass — low music
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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