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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. current — happening now
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — employees
  12. clip — to cut
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. clip — for paper
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. clip — a video

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