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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cell — in biology
  3. degree — temperature
  4. dip — to sink
  5. current — electric
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — an amount
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. field — for sport

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