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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bank — of a river
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — to go on
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cue — a hint
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. cue — a signal
  22. current — of water
  23. bank — for money
  24. fall — the season

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