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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — money
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — child
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. degree — temperature
  10. current — of water
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — electric
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. current — happening now
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kid — to tease
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — a city

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