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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. ground — crushed
  3. track — a song
  4. ground — a position
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. roll — a cake
  7. degree — temperature
  8. current — of water
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. ground — the earth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. current — happening now
  15. ball — a great time
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. ball — a dance
  21. toast — bread
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — a list

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