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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 124 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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. court — for sport
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. degree — from a university
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. scale — in music
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. file — a line of people
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. file — a document

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