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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — music
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tear — to rip
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — finally
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bank — for money
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. bank — of a river
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — final
  24. degree — from a university

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