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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — happening now
  3. last — final
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — to go on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — for golf
  10. current — of water
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. club — for dancing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fall — the season
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. current — electric
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. degree — an amount
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — to trim
  24. club — a group

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