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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bulb — for light
  15. squash — to crush
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. current — of water
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — electric
  21. stock — goods
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cabinet — ministers

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