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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rash — a series
  4. degree — temperature
  5. current — electric
  6. degree — an amount
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. current — of water
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bound — certain
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. current — happening now
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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