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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — temperature
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bank — for money
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — an amount
  23. current — happening now
  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