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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. game — wild animals
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — happening now
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — electric
  9. track — a path
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wind — moving air
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a match
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. track — a song
  24. stock — shares

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