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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stock — goods
  5. tube — a container
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. cold — not warm
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — music
  15. track — a song
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. track — a path
  19. stock — shares
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. jam — in traffic

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