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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. file — a line of people
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. net — in sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — after costs
  13. can — to be able to
  14. row — a line
  15. file — a tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. file — a document
  19. mine — for digging
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — for catching
  24. ground — crushed

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