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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. degree — temperature
  3. current — happening now
  4. sharp — clever
  5. current — of water
  6. net — after costs
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — from a university
  9. net — for catching
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bark — to shout
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. current — electric
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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