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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. current — electric
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stand — to bear
  11. suit — clothes
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stem — to come from
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — happening now
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. current — of water
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mine — an explosive

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