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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — thin
  3. current — of water
  4. field — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — a series
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — a match
  16. current — happening now
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. degree — an amount
  20. current — electric
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — a subject
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rash — hasty

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