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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ball — a dance
  3. current — of water
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rock — music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. current — electric
  8. rest — a break
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. track — a song
  12. degree — temperature
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — a stone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. cell — a phone
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. current — happening now
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cell — in a prison

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