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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. current — of water
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — a line
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. degree — temperature
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. current — electric
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — the animal

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