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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 · hide · plane · pitch · cold · mark · stock · ruler

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mark — a grade
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — happening now
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stock — shares
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stock — goods
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — electric
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. hide — animal skin

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