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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · ground · stock · scale · mate · kid · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — a subject
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stock — shares
  6. current — electric
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rock — a stone
  11. field — farmland
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. kid — child
  14. ground — the earth
  15. scale — in music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. field — for sport
  18. current — of water
  19. ground — a position
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stock — goods
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rock — music
  24. current — happening now

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