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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bank — of a river
  4. tube — the underground
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — the time now
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. current — happening now
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. land — to come down
  13. current — electric
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — of water
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — ground
  22. chair — a leader
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — for money

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