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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. march — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. current — happening now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. suit — in cards
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. snap — to click
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — clothes
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — to fit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. current — electric

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