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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. object — a thing
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wound — an injury
  19. snap — to click
  20. object — to protest
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — employees
  24. object — an aim

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