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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. degree — temperature
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — electric
  7. degree — from a university
  8. charge — a price
  9. pit — a hole
  10. hand — help
  11. pit — in a race
  12. prune — to trim
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. prune — to trim
  16. charge — electricity
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — in cards
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. charge — in control
  21. craft — boats
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. craft — a skill
  24. current — happening now

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