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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. degree — temperature
  4. file — a document
  5. game — wild animals
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. degree — an amount
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — a match
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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