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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: lie · club · mouse · chair · current · saw · stock · field

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. current — of water
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — a leader
  9. club — for golf
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. current — happening now
  13. stock — goods
  14. current — electric
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. field — farmland
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. club — for dancing

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