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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: field · stock · current · bank · chest · rule · date · ball

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stock — goods
  3. current — of water
  4. date — the fruit
  5. rule — a law
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. field — for sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. rule — government
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a dance
  16. field — farmland
  17. bank — for money
  18. current — happening now
  19. bank — for money
  20. current — electric
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — shares

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