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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — of water
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — farmland
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — for sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. net — for catching
  16. current — electric
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — employees
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — after costs
  22. current — happening now
  23. net — in sport
  24. degree — temperature

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