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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · current · mine · clip · degree · deal · vault · mug

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. degree — temperature
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. current — happening now
  7. degree — an amount
  8. mug — a face
  9. mate — a partner
  10. current — electric
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — to rob
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mine — for digging
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mug — a cup

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