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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. current — electric
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bound — certain
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. current — happening now
  11. land — a country
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. degree — temperature
  14. land — ground
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pit — in a race
  17. squash — the sport
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — of water

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