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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. current — of water
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wound — an injury
  5. suit — to fit
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cue — a signal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — of law
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. court — of a king
  18. current — happening now
  19. suit — clothes
  20. current — electric
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. court — for sport
  24. wound — an injury

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