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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — to visit
  4. branch — a division
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. degree — temperature
  7. plane — a tool
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. game — a match
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bat — the animal
  16. degree — an amount
  17. current — of water
  18. degree — from a university
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pop — soda
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pop — music
  24. current — happening now

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