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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. current — happening now
  3. kick — in football
  4. current — of water
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — electric
  15. degree — temperature
  16. march — music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — the month
  21. firm — a company
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ball — a dance

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