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

Word bank: season · current · club · fan · stock · rest

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — happening now
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. club — a group
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — of the year
  18. rest — a break

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