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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. row — a line
  6. degree — an amount
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. degree — from a university
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — a permit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wind — moving air

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