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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: file · pit · shower · degree · pitcher · can · mouse · trunk

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pit — in a race
  13. file — a tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. can — a tin
  16. file — a document
  17. degree — temperature
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pitcher — a jug

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