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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. row — a line
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — a group
  7. degree — from a university
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — a subject
  10. object — an aim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — a thing
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — a permit
  18. club — for golf
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. field — farmland
  21. shower — rain
  22. file — a line of people
  23. field — for sport
  24. shower — to wash

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