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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. current — electric
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — goods
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. game — a match
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rash — a series
  19. branch — a division
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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