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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bound — certain
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the fish
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. current — happening now
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. current — of water
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bass — low music
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. degree — from a university
  18. current — electric
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stock — goods
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — shares

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