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

Word bank: perch · stick · degree · current · bay · cue · bat · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. current — happening now
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — the fish
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. degree — temperature
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — moving air

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