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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. swing — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. stand — to bear
  7. current — of water
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. swing — in golf
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — an amount
  17. can — a tin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. current — electric
  22. date — the fruit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. stand — for spectators

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