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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — hurry
  4. file — a document
  5. degree — from a university
  6. net — for catching
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a tool
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. net — after costs

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