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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. court — for sport
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a document
  6. rest — what's left
  7. file — a line of people
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. court — of law
  13. kid — child
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — of a king
  16. bear — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. roll — a list
  20. stock — shares
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kid — to tease
  24. current — of water

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