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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — newspapers
  4. current — electric
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — from crying
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — of water
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. current — happening now
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. tear — to rip
  19. press — to push
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — temperature
  24. roll — a list

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