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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 120 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: row · fall · kick · degree · bat · wave · squash · current

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. degree — temperature
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. degree — an amount
  7. kick — in football
  8. current — happening now
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — the season
  11. current — of water
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the vegetable

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