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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — an amount
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rest — what's left
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. rest — a break
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bass — low music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. current — electric
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bass — the fish
  24. lean — thin

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