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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — in sport
  3. current — electric
  4. dip — to sink
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. current — happening now
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. current — of water
  11. row — to paddle
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. degree — temperature
  14. suit — clothes
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. suit — to fit
  21. row — a line
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — clever
  24. dip — a sauce

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