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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. bat — the animal
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — for dancing
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. drill — a practice
  11. degree — an amount
  12. club — for golf
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wax — to grow
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. current — electric
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. club — a group

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