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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. file — a document
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chip — for betting
  7. file — a tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. file — a line of people
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lie — to recline

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