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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — from a university
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. degree — temperature
  6. drill — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. file — a document
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. drill — army training
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a path
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. board — a committee
  16. band — a ring
  17. drill — a practice
  18. track — a song
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. board — to get on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hide — to keep secret

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