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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
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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: current · bowl · firm · degree · land · foot · shower · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. land — a country
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. firm — a company
  15. land — to come down
  16. firm — decided
  17. land — ground
  18. current — of water
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. firm — steady
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. foot — a measure

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