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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kick — in football
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mark — a trace
  10. current — happening now
  11. march — music
  12. current — electric
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to bend
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. march — the month

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