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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ball — a dance
  3. file — a document
  4. ball — a great time
  5. file — a line of people
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ground — crushed
  10. degree — temperature
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. toast — bread
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — an amount
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ground — the earth

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