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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. current — of water
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rash — a series
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. degree — from a university
  8. current — happening now
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in biology
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — electric
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cell — a phone
  21. band — a music group
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. band — a ring

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