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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. current — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stock — goods
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a path
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. press — to push
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. press — newspapers
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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