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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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. degree — an amount
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rush — hurry
  9. date — the fruit
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. craft — boats
  14. degree — from a university
  15. craft — a skill
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — the time now
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tear — to rip

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