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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — to shout
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — shares
  7. craft — a skill
  8. hand — help
  9. face — part of the head
  10. court — of law
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pop — soda
  13. face — to point toward
  14. craft — boats
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stock — goods
  17. court — for sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. current — of water
  22. pop — music
  23. court — of a king
  24. current — happening now

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