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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. file — a line of people
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. file — a document
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rush — hurry
  7. file — a tool
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fine — all right
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — ministers

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