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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. can — a tin
  3. current — of water
  4. degree — an amount
  5. can — a tin
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. club — a group
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fall — the season
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fall — to drop

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