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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. swing — to play on
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. spell — magic
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spell — letters
  8. degree — an amount
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. degree — from a university
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — a short time
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. swing — in golf
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. current — electric
  24. swing — music

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