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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. current — electric
  4. game — a match
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cue — a signal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. current — happening now
  9. cue — a hint
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. game — wild animals
  12. capital — money
  13. race — a contest
  14. current — of water
  15. cue — for pool
  16. capital — a city
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. race — humankind
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — temperature
  23. race — the arms race
  24. object — to protest

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