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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: current · pitcher · can · mark · stand · stock · cold · row

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — of water
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — a grade
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. current — happening now
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — shares
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. row — a line
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. current — electric
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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