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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — from a university
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. current — happening now
  5. stock — goods
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — temperature
  10. file — a document
  11. march — music
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. degree — an amount
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — the month
  21. file — a tool
  22. bark — to shout
  23. file — a line of people
  24. stock — a soup base

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