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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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 — electric
  2. degree — from a university
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — goods
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stock — shares
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. current — happening now
  10. pop — music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — of water
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — tied together
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — to wash
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bound — certain
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bound — obliged
  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