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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ball — a dance
  3. charge — in control
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. charge — electricity
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ball — a great time
  11. content — the amount
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. content — happy
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — a subject
  19. charge — a price
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. field — for sport
  24. degree — temperature

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