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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — shares
  5. current — happening now
  6. present — there
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. current — of water
  9. present — a gift
  10. shower — rain
  11. current — electric
  12. face — to point toward
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. present — the time now
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stock — goods
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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