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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — happening now
  4. stock — shares
  5. current — electric
  6. toast — bread
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. roll — a cake
  10. march — the month
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. march — music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. current — of water
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. track — a path
  23. roll — a list
  24. march — the month

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