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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. current — of water
  17. kick — in football
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — the animal

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