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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: pitcher · current · stock · saw · rest · cap · mate · game

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — shares
  4. rest — a break
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. mate — a friend
  8. game — a match
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cap — a hat
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stock — goods
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mate — to breed

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