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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — happening now
  5. suit — to fit
  6. cell — a phone
  7. current — of water
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cell — in biology
  10. game — a match
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — to come from

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