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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. file — a document
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lie — to recline
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. object — to protest
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mark — a trace
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. firm — a company
  16. file — a tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. firm — steady
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chest — a box
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. file — a line of people

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