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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pit — in a race
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bound — obliged
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. drill — army training
  8. degree — temperature
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a tool
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bound — certain
  16. season — of the year
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. degree — from a university
  19. season — in sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. band — a music group

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