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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spell — a short time
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. degree — an amount
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fall — the season
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — letters
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. spell — magic
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fall — to drop
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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