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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  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. present — the time now
  2. content — the amount
  3. mug — a cup
  4. game — a match
  5. stock — goods
  6. content — happy
  7. game — wild animals
  8. current — happening now
  9. mug — a face
  10. rest — a break
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stock — shares
  15. current — electric
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. current — of water
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rest — what's left
  20. present — there
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stock — a soup base
  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