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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. file — a document
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. degree — from a university
  14. file — a line of people
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. object — an aim
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. wind — to turn a key

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