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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pit — a hole
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. current — of water
  16. degree — temperature
  17. foot — a measure
  18. current — happening now
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. degree — from a university

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