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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — a hole
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — soda
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — of water
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pit — in a race
  17. current — electric
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. degree — temperature

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