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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · stick · rash · content · current · game · stock · march

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. game — a match
  5. current — electric
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — wild animals
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — all right
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. content — happy
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. march — the month
  15. content — the amount
  16. current — happening now
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — goods
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. rash — hasty
  22. march — music
  23. stock — shares
  24. rash — a series

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