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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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 document
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. stand — to bear
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pop — soda
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. tube — the underground
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. tube — a container
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. degree — an amount
  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