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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — temperature
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. game — a match
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. current — happening now
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fan — to cool the air

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