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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — temperature
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. deal — to handle
  17. degree — an amount
  18. track — to keep track
  19. current — happening now
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. current — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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