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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a dance
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lean — thin
  6. season — in sport
  7. ball — a great time
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. current — happening now
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — an aim
  13. current — electric
  14. current — of water
  15. suit — to fit
  16. lean — to bend
  17. object — to protest
  18. season — of the year
  19. track — a song
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. suit — clothes
  22. object — a thing
  23. track — a path
  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