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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.

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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. degree — an amount
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — of water
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. current — electric
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — to crush
  9. current — happening now
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. shower — rain
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rock — music
  15. degree — from a university
  16. track — a path
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rock — a stone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. track — to keep track
  21. squash — the sport
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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