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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.

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
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: stock · last · net · arm · pitcher · current · bulb · rush

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — for catching
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — electric
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — shares
  9. rush — hurry
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — goods
  14. current — of water
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — in sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — finally
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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