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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. suit — clothes
  6. current — electric
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — an amount
  10. suit — to fit
  11. degree — temperature
  12. row — to paddle
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. degree — from a university
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. suit — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. row — a line
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — to cool the air

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