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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — a tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rash — hasty
  12. file — a document
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. saw — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bat — the animal
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — the tool

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