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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. charge — electricity
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. charge — a price
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. charge — in control
  18. saw — the tool
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. degree — temperature
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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