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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. season — in sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. current — electric
  10. degree — from a university
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. season — of the year
  24. degree — an amount

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