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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. current — of water
  10. degree — an amount
  11. current — happening now
  12. dip — to sink
  13. current — electric
  14. degree — from a university
  15. snap — to click
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stock — shares
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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