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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: bound · kick · fall · mine · degree · pop · pit · rush

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pop — soda
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — the season
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bound — certain
  10. pop — music
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pop — to visit
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — in football
  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