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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. mug — a cup
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mug — to rob
  5. roll — a cake
  6. march — the month
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. current — electric
  9. mug — a face
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. roll — a list
  14. degree — temperature
  15. spring — of water
  16. march — music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kick — in football
  22. march — the month
  23. current — happening now
  24. kick — with a leg

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