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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fall — to drop
  3. degree — an amount
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — of water
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fall — the season
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. roll — a list
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — a series
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. current — electric
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. degree — temperature

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