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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: chair · bowl · net · jam · current · stock · fan · shower

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — for catching
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. current — happening now
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — after costs
  17. current — of water
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stock — shares
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stock — a soup base

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