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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rule — a law
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. degree — an amount
  6. craft — boats
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. current — happening now
  9. rule — government
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. current — electric
  12. stem — to come from
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. roll — a cake
  15. staff — employees
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. staff — employees
  18. current — of water
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. staff — a stick
  22. roll — a list
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stem — of a plant

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