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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — wild animals
  4. track — a path
  5. game — a match
  6. degree — from a university
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. current — electric
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. current — of water
  13. track — a song
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. current — happening now
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — temperature
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — clever

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