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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a document
  8. degree — temperature
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — an amount
  11. file — a tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. swing — in golf
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. degree — from a university
  24. prune — the fruit

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