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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. root — of a word
  3. current — electric
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. current — happening now
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. game — a match
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. current — of water
  23. rest — a break
  24. degree — from a university

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