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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 120 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: safe · current · hide · tube · march · court · chip · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. current — electric
  3. chip — to eat
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. march — music
  6. chip — for betting
  7. current — happening now
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — of a king
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. tube — a container
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. court — of law
  21. march — the month
  22. current — of water
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — for sport

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