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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: shower · chair · pass · chip · fork · stock · current · game

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — wild animals
  5. current — electric
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. game — a match
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. current — of water
  17. stock — shares
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pass — a permit
  24. chip — in a computer

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