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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: firm · row · swing · current · clip · charge · degree · mouse

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. firm — decided
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. charge — electricity
  12. firm — a company
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — music
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — an amount
  17. clip — a video
  18. charge — a price
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. firm — steady
  21. clip — to cut
  22. charge — in control
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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