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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. degree — an amount
  5. object — a thing
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rock — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. object — to protest
  12. plane — a tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. object — an aim
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ball — a dance
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ball — a great time
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. file — a tool
  24. rush — hurry

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