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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pit — in a race
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. scale — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a hole
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to click
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — belonging to me

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