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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — a match
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. current — of water
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. current — happening now
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cue — a hint
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rock — a stone
  16. degree — from a university
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cue — a signal
  19. club — for golf
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cue — for pool
  22. current — electric
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — temperature

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