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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. kick — in football
  6. degree — an amount
  7. kid — child
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pit — in a race
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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