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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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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: pit · degree · pitcher · snap · net · wound · bulb · current

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. current — happening now
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — after costs
  13. current — of water
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — in sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. net — for catching
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pit — in a race
  22. current — electric
  23. snap — to click
  24. bulb — of a plant

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