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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: rock · rest · pop · current · mate · hand · row · stock

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hand — in cards
  3. current — happening now
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rock — music
  11. current — of water
  12. mate — a friend
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stock — goods
  15. rest — a break
  16. current — electric
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. hand — help
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pop — soda
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pop — music
  24. row — a line

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