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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. net — after costs
  3. deal — to handle
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — to keep track
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — electric
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. perch — the fish
  16. current — happening now
  17. track — a path
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. degree — an amount
  20. branch — a division
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — from a university
  24. net — for catching

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