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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — in music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — temperature
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — size or range
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. current — electric
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. date — the fruit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. capital — a city
  17. rest — what's left
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. date — on the calendar

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