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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 116 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. squash — to crush
  3. object — a thing
  4. net — after costs
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ball — a dance
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. ground — a position
  11. current — happening now
  12. bank — of a river
  13. current — of water
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bank — for money
  16. ground — the earth
  17. net — in sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ball — a great time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. net — for catching

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