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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — an amount
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. current — electric
  8. chip — to eat
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pop — soda
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chip — for betting
  16. current — of water
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — clever
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. pop — to visit
  22. current — happening now
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. sharp — with an edge

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