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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rush — hurry
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — of water
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. current — electric
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. current — happening now
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. degree — temperature
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — an amount
  24. safe — out of danger

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