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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lie — to recline
  3. current — electric
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — in a road
  7. track — a song
  8. scale — size or range
  9. degree — an amount
  10. current — happening now
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — temperature
  14. current — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. track — a path
  20. rock — a stone
  21. scale — in music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. track — to keep track

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