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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kid — child
  9. fall — the season
  10. face — part of the head
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stock — goods
  22. current — happening now
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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