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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spell — letters
  3. land — a country
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spell — magic
  7. firm — a company
  8. degree — an amount
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — a safe
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. firm — decided
  19. land — ground
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. firm — steady
  22. spell — a short time
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitch — completely

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