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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. season — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. degree — temperature
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. degree — from a university
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. march — music
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. object — to protest
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — an amount

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