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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. degree — temperature
  5. current — of water
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fall — the season
  10. snap — to click
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kick — in football
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — electric
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. current — happening now
  19. fall — to drop
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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