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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · stock · last · pop · press · current · toast · degree

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. last — final
  4. bat — the animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — finally
  7. pop — soda
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. current — happening now
  11. press — to push
  12. degree — from a university
  13. press — newspapers
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — shares
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. press — a publisher
  21. last — to go on
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bat — in an idiom

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