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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stock — goods
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. current — of water
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. degree — temperature
  8. current — electric
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. current — happening now
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bass — low music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. race — a contest
  17. bass — the fish
  18. press — newspapers
  19. degree — from a university
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. race — humankind
  23. press — to push
  24. temple — a place of worship

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