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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. current — electric
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stock — goods
  6. rash — a series
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. club — for golf
  10. current — of water
  11. club — a group
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — happening now
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. degree — temperature
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — hasty
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — child
  23. stock — shares
  24. mark — a grade

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