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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stock — goods
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — shares
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — of water
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. current — happening now
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — temperature
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. current — electric
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lash — to lash out

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