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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. stock — goods
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. current — happening now
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. season — in sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. season — of the year
  21. pop — music
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. stock — shares

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