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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. current — electric
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — an amount
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. court — of law
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. current — of water
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. land — ground
  14. current — happening now
  15. fine — high quality
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. degree — temperature
  18. court — for sport
  19. rash — hasty
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. temple — side of the head

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