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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pit — a hole
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to click
  12. key — in music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. key — the most important part
  18. charge — electricity
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. degree — temperature
  21. key — for a lock
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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