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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. current — electric
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — from a university
  7. shower — to wash
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — to confront
  11. row — a line
  12. degree — an amount
  13. current — happening now
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — part of the head
  18. shower — rain
  19. face — to point toward
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — of water
  24. fork — a garden tool

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