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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. degree — from a university
  3. degree — temperature
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chip — to eat
  6. tear — to rip
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. drill — the tool
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. current — of water
  19. degree — an amount
  20. kick — in football
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kick — a thrill

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