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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rash — a series
  4. file — a document
  5. court — of law
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. court — for sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rash — hasty
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wax — to grow
  24. degree — an amount

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