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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.

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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: fine · current · firm · last · degree · spell · pop · pound

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. spell — a short time
  3. degree — an amount
  4. last — finally
  5. current — happening now
  6. firm — decided
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — soda
  10. fine — all right
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. firm — a company
  14. current — of water
  15. firm — steady
  16. last — final
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. pop — to visit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. last — to go on
  22. pound — a weight
  23. current — electric
  24. pop — music

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