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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — temperature
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. kick — in football
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. current — electric

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