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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. degree — from a university
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — in sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. lean — to bend
  9. object — an aim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — electric
  12. degree — an amount
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. game — a match
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. net — after costs
  24. object — to protest

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