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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. net — after costs
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. track — a song
  6. lean — thin
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. court — of a king
  9. net — in sport
  10. track — a path
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rock — a stone
  13. court — for sport
  14. rock — music
  15. net — for catching
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — from a university
  18. current — of water
  19. lean — to bend
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — of law
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. lean — to rest against

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