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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: perch · file · march · game · leaves · current · snap · stock

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stock — shares
  3. current — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — a match
  7. march — the month
  8. game — wild animals
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. file — a tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a line of people
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. perch — the fish
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. file — a document

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