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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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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: sharp · row · swing · stock · current · pit

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. current — happening now
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — to play on
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pit — a hole
  10. row — a line
  11. swing — music
  12. current — electric
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. current — of water
  15. pit — in a race
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — to paddle
  18. swing — in golf

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