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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. current — happening now
  9. ball — a great time
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chair — a leader
  13. game — a match
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — to keep track
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. degree — from a university

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