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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pit — a hole
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. degree — an amount
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pit — in a race
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. row — a line
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — thin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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