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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 120 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. pop — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rest — a break
  12. current — electric
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — a subject
  15. chest — of your body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chest — a box
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — farmland
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — soda

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