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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: current · can · date · degree · chest · clip · fork · pit

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — for paper
  4. current — electric
  5. clip — a video
  6. current — of water
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — to be able to
  9. current — happening now
  10. date — the fruit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. can — a tin
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chest — of your body
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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