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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. net — in sport
  5. current — electric
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. degree — an amount
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. swing — music
  16. suit — clothes
  17. swing — in golf
  18. suit — to fit
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — to play on

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