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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rash — hasty
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. degree — temperature
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bank — for money
  9. current — happening now
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. degree — an amount
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. face — to confront
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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