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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — temperature
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bat — the animal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mug — to rob
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — help
  18. current — happening now
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — a friend

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