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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — temperature
  3. capital — money
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. capital — a city
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a document
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bound — certain
  15. cue — a signal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. track — a path
  21. cue — a hint
  22. file — a line of people
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rock — music

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