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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — of water
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — shares
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — money
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. current — happening now
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. game — a match
  23. current — electric
  24. row — to paddle

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