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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. rock — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. file — a tool
  11. stock — goods
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rock — a stone
  16. file — a document
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stock — shares
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — an amount
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. nail — for a hammer

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