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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — happening now
  8. kid — to tease
  9. board — a committee
  10. kid — child
  11. board — to get on
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pit — in a race
  15. current — electric
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pit — a hole
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. degree — temperature

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