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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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. fine — all right
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. suit — clothes
  18. current — of water
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. suit — in cards
  24. fine — high quality

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