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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. file — a tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — to paddle
  12. tear — from crying
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. row — a line
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. file — a document
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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