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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · file · degree · key · current · squash · pit · shower

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. pit — a hole
  3. shower — to wash
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. degree — an amount
  8. current — happening now
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. degree — temperature
  13. shower — rain
  14. perch — the fish
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — the most important part
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pit — in a race
  24. key — for a lock

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