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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. court — of a king
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. court — of law
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — employees
  10. current — electric
  11. staff — employees
  12. swing — music
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. degree — an amount
  16. court — for sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. swing — to play on

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