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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bass — the fish
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spell — letters
  11. wake — a trail
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spell — magic
  15. bass — low music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — temperature
  22. current — happening now
  23. cold — not warm
  24. vault — a safe

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