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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. current — happening now
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rash — a series
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. current — of water

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