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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — money
  4. branch — a division
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — electric
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — of water
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. court — of a king
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. current — happening now
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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