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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: wake · rule · racket · bowl · stock · mine · kid · current

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — of water
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — shares
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kid — child
  9. stock — goods
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rule — a law
  19. current — happening now
  20. rule — government
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mine — for digging

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