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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. content — happy
  4. degree — an amount
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — a signal
  7. hand — help
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. current — happening now
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to click
  19. current — electric
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. hand — in cards

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