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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — in biology
  4. current — electric
  5. cell — a phone
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mate — a partner
  8. board — to get on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mate — a friend
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. current — of water
  24. fall — the season

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