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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
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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: wake · stick · staff · stock · net · current · game · fine

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. net — in sport
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — for catching
  10. fine — all right
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — goods
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — electric
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. net — after costs
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. game — wild animals

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