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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — goods
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — a path
  7. spring — of water
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. land — a country
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. kid — child
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — a cup
  19. current — electric
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. track — a song
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. current — of water

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