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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. degree — an amount
  4. staff — a stick
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mate — a friend
  8. swing — to play on
  9. craft — boats
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ball — a dance
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mate — to breed
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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