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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wind — moving air
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — electric
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. current — happening now
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. current — of water
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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