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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: bore · mug · pitch · degree · chip · race · fork · current

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mug — a cup
  8. current — of water
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. race — a contest
  11. degree — temperature
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. current — electric
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fork — in a road
  22. degree — an amount
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chip — for betting

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