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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rash — a series
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — for paper
  5. firm — steady
  6. degree — an amount
  7. clip — a video
  8. current — of water
  9. degree — from a university
  10. key — the most important part
  11. degree — temperature
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. current — happening now
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. firm — a company
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rash — hasty
  21. band — a ring
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rash — on the skin

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