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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rule — a law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — to visit
  6. ground — the earth
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — soda
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ground — a position
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bore — to drill
  15. rule — government
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. current — electric
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. current — happening now
  22. pop — music
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. racket — for tennis

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