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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. file — a tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. file — a line of people
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. file — a document
  15. chip — to eat
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — an amount
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bass — the fish
  22. march — music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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