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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. field — for sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. rash — a series
  8. degree — temperature
  9. net — in sport
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — after costs
  13. current — of water
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. race — a contest
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — to get on
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — a subject
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a committee
  22. bass — low music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. board — a flat piece

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