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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — the season
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — an amount
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — of law
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — low music
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the fish
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — of water
  23. saw — the tool
  24. degree — from a university

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