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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: bay · shower · pound · chest · season · ball · stock · current

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stock — goods
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. current — electric
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — in sport
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stock — shares
  16. current — happening now
  17. season — of the year
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. current — of water
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — a horse colour

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