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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — from a university
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. club — for golf
  10. fine — all right
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. current — of water
  17. degree — temperature
  18. drill — army training
  19. rash — hasty
  20. degree — an amount
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — a group
  24. current — electric

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