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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. file — a document
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pound — a weight
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. file — a tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a line of people

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