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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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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: chest · lie · fan · track · degree · current · cue · stand

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cue — a hint
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — electric
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. current — happening now
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. track — a path
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chest — a box
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chest — of your body
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cue — a signal
  24. chest — of your body

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