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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. drill — the tool
  4. current — of water
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. drill — army training
  10. chair — a leader
  11. season — of the year
  12. pop — soda
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — electric
  17. season — in sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. current — happening now
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pop — music

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