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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: band · current · pitch · bowl · stock · game · mine · cap

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. band — a music group
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a ring
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. current — of water
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. current — happening now
  15. stock — shares
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. game — a match
  23. mine — for digging
  24. game — a kind of play

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