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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · pitch · temple · current · stock · fan

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. current — happening now
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. current — of water
  12. stock — shares
  13. shower — rain
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stock — goods

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