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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitch — completely
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. current — happening now
  9. land — ground
  10. bank — for money
  11. degree — from a university
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — to come down
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mine — belonging to me

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