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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. current — happening now
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — for paper
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. current — electric
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — of water
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pop — soda
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — music

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