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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. chip — for betting
  9. degree — from a university
  10. file — a tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — letters
  18. rock — music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ball — a dance
  21. file — a document
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spell — magic

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