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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: degree · stick · spring · file · bat · pitch · current · rock

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pitch — completely
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. file — a line of people
  17. current — electric
  18. rock — a stone
  19. file — a document
  20. current — happening now
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. spring — the season
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — temperature

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