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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. current — happening now
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. current — of water
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rash — a series
  24. bore — to tire

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