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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. current — of water
  5. march — music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — electric
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — happening now
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — an amount
  12. march — the month
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series

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