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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — from a university
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — an amount
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — certain
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. fine — all right
  16. field — for sport
  17. current — of water
  18. field — farmland
  19. squash — to crush
  20. degree — temperature
  21. race — humankind
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. current — electric

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