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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. degree — from a university
  4. land — ground
  5. current — of water
  6. cue — for pool
  7. suit — in cards
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — temperature
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. current — electric
  15. degree — an amount
  16. land — to come down
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — a position
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. land — a country
  21. current — happening now
  22. cue — a signal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cue — a hint

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