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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — an amount
  8. current — happening now
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a document
  11. current — electric
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. craft — boats
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — a skill

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