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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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 — happening now
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lean — to bend
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — for sport
  16. mug — a face
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lean — thin
  19. lie — to recline
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. degree — from a university
  23. current — electric
  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