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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. current — electric
  6. degree — from a university
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — a price
  9. wound — an injury
  10. current — happening now
  11. board — to get on
  12. charge — electricity
  13. board — a committee
  14. file — a tool
  15. current — of water
  16. deal — to handle
  17. degree — an amount
  18. file — a document
  19. charge — in control
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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