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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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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: craft · current · ball · mouse · hide · pitch · degree · lean

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ball — a great time
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pitch — completely
  17. degree — temperature
  18. current — electric
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — an amount
  23. craft — boats
  24. current — of water

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