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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. degree — an amount
  3. current — of water
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — happening now
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — certain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chest — of your body
  19. season — of the year
  20. chest — a box
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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