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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. current — happening now
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rash — a series
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — thin
  13. scale — in music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mug — a cup
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. lean — to bend
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. degree — from a university
  24. present — the time now

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