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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: current · row · mug · kid · roll · stock · pass · court

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. current — of water
  4. court — of law
  5. row — a line
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kid — child
  8. mug — a face
  9. stock — goods
  10. kid — to tease
  11. court — of a king
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. current — electric
  17. court — for sport
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stock — shares
  20. roll — a cake
  21. current — happening now
  22. mug — to rob
  23. row — to paddle
  24. roll — a list

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