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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pass — a permit
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. current — of water
  14. root — the cause
  15. court — of law
  16. root — of a word
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. root — of a plant
  20. game — a match
  21. current — happening now
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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