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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a music group
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chip — to eat
  6. root — the cause
  7. current — happening now
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. saw — the tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — from a university
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. current — electric
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. chip — for betting

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