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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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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. object — an aim
  3. present — a gift
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. object — a thing
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. object — to protest
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. present — the time now
  17. degree — temperature
  18. current — electric
  19. pit — a hole
  20. present — there
  21. current — of water
  22. chest — a box
  23. current — happening now
  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