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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. march — the month
  5. current — electric
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. current — happening now
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — to shout
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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