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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. swing — music
  3. current — of water
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — in golf
  7. file — a document
  8. foot — a measure
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ball — a dance
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. ball — a great time
  14. swing — to play on
  15. file — a tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. file — a line of people

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