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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. season — of the year
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. track — a path
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. current — happening now
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. track — to keep track
  15. current — electric
  16. squash — to crush
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stock — goods
  19. track — a song
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — in traffic

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