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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — temperature
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. club — for golf
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. court — for sport
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. current — of water
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. current — electric
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bark — to shout
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — an amount
  19. current — happening now
  20. club — a group
  21. court — of law
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. court — of a king

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