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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stock — shares
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — electric
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tube — a container
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — a face
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stock — goods
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. current — happening now
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cold — the Cold War

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