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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 120 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. current — happening now
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — electric
  8. deal — to handle
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. current — of water
  14. lie — to recline
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. degree — temperature
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a match
  24. prune — the fruit

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