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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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · lean · bowl · stock · pitcher · bass · field · drill

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. current — of water
  8. lean — thin
  9. current — electric
  10. field — for sport
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — shares
  13. field — a subject
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — a practice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — goods
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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