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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — the season
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — a grade
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fork — in a road
  14. current — electric
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of law
  18. snap — to click
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — of a king
  21. current — of water
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fork — to eat with

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