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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. degree — an amount
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — a partner
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — size or range
  22. current — electric
  23. degree — from a university
  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