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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — temperature
  5. swing — to play on
  6. file — a tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a document
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. key — in music
  21. stock — shares
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stock — a soup base

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