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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. degree — temperature
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — electric
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bound — certain
  11. degree — an amount
  12. current — happening now
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bound — obliged
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pit — a hole

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