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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stock — goods
  7. current — happening now
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. object — a thing
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. object — an aim
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. object — to protest
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — an amount

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