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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. court — of a king
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. court — of law
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fine — high quality
  11. degree — temperature
  12. current — electric
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fine — all right
  16. court — for sport
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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