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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. kid — child
  3. board — to get on
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. current — of water
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. tube — a container
  10. content — happy
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — happening now
  14. root — the cause
  15. content — the amount
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — electric
  19. stock — goods
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. tube — the underground

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