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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · bound · cabinet · track · march · cold · current · stock

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cold — an illness
  3. track — a song
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. march — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. march — the month
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bound — certain
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — goods
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. current — of water
  19. march — the month
  20. bound — tied together
  21. track — a path
  22. cold — not warm
  23. current — electric
  24. bay — a horse colour

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