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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stock — goods
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — happening now
  5. present — the time now
  6. current — electric
  7. track — to keep track
  8. drill — the tool
  9. current — of water
  10. lie — to recline
  11. drill — army training
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — temperature
  16. present — there
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. drill — a practice
  19. track — a path
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. degree — an amount
  23. present — a gift
  24. degree — from a university

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