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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.

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: degree · fall · season · fine · ground · current · ball · object

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — of water
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. season — in sport
  7. ground — crushed
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ball — a great time
  11. object — an aim
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fine — high quality
  15. season — of the year
  16. ground — the earth
  17. object — to protest
  18. ground — a position
  19. current — happening now
  20. object — a thing
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fall — the season
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. current — electric

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