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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.

Make a worksheet

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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. key — in music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — temperature
  6. march — the month
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. current — happening now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. degree — an amount
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — music
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — from a university
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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