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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pit — in a race
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — a lid
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pit — a hole
  19. row — a line
  20. shower — to wash
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — for digging

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