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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 116 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: game · rush · current · mouse · net · clip · tube · stock

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. current — of water
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. clip — to cut
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — in sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — electric
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. game — wild animals
  16. tube — the underground
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — shares
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. current — happening now
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — goods

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