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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 120 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. degree — an amount
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — to go on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. current — electric
  11. swing — to play on
  12. last — final
  13. current — of water
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. suit — in cards
  18. degree — from a university
  19. shower — rain
  20. field — a subject
  21. last — finally
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — music

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