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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — for catching
  4. stock — shares
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — goods
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pound — a weight
  11. club — a group
  12. current — electric
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. club — for golf
  15. net — after costs
  16. row — a line
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ball — a dance
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — happening now
  23. club — for dancing
  24. band — a rubber band

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