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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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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: snap · club · pitcher · chest · current · field · ball · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — for sport
  6. current — of water
  7. chest — a box
  8. field — farmland
  9. current — happening now
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. stock — shares
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — electric
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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