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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. ground — crushed
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. object — to protest
  12. club — a group
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — a thing
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — happening now
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ball — a great time
  20. object — an aim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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