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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a document
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. rule — government
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rest — what's left
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fine — all right
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rest — a break
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. file — a tool

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