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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rock — a stone
  4. degree — temperature
  5. net — for catching
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rock — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. content — the amount
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. net — after costs
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. content — happy

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