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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ground — a position
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cap — a hat
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — happening now
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cue — a hint
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — hasty
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — a series
  20. court — of law
  21. ground — crushed
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — for pool
  24. court — of a king

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