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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. swing — music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. court — of a king
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. degree — temperature
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — of law
  10. current — of water
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. degree — an amount
  13. current — electric
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — from a university
  16. current — happening now
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pass — a permit
  19. root — of a word
  20. swing — to play on
  21. court — for sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. swing — in golf
  24. root — of a plant

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