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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. current — of water
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — for a lock
  12. clip — for paper
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. current — electric
  19. fork — in a road
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mate — to breed
  22. current — happening now
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — to cool the air

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