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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cue — a signal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — hasty
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cue — for pool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a line
  14. current — happening now
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. current — of water
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. rash — a series
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rash — on the skin

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