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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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. rock — music
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rock — a stone
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. degree — from a university
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chip — to eat
  15. root — the cause
  16. kick — in football
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. root — of a word
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. chip — for betting
  24. trunk — of a tree

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