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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — to keep track
  9. current — happening now
  10. degree — temperature
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — part of the head
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a path
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. roll — a list
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — to confront

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