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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a trace
  5. file — a document
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mark — a grade
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — temperature
  12. file — a tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — in music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. spring — of water
  19. club — for golf
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spring — the season
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. perch — the fish

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