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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — a song
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — to keep track
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. track — a path
  19. file — a tool
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. chip — for betting
  22. clip — a video
  23. file — a document
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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