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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wound · pit · fall · degree · current · toast · pop · bore

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — to tire
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. pop — soda
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pop — music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — electric
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — bread
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fall — the season
  21. pop — to visit
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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