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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mug — to rob
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a face
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — an amount
  12. current — electric
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mug — a cup
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. race — a contest
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. race — the arms race

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