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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — of water
  3. fall — the season
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. degree — an amount
  6. clip — to cut
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wake — a trail
  10. current — electric
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kick — in football
  13. clip — a video
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — happening now
  16. rule — a law
  17. cue — a hint
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rule — government
  21. cue — for pool
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cue — a signal

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