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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — an amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — a trail
  7. scale — in music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. current — of water
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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