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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rush — hurry
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. current — of water
  6. degree — temperature
  7. staff — employees
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mug — a cup
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mug — to rob
  12. current — happening now
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. degree — from a university
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mug — a face
  19. staff — employees
  20. current — electric
  21. file — a line of people
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pit — a hole

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