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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kick — in football
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. current — of water
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — temperature
  8. object — an aim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. shower — rain
  13. object — a thing
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. current — electric
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — an injury
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. object — to protest

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