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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — a song
  8. degree — temperature
  9. snap — to click
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — electric
  13. degree — an amount
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — of water
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. degree — from a university
  19. track — a path
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. row — to paddle
  22. track — to keep track
  23. current — happening now
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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