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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. file — a document
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. clip — to cut
  7. plane — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. clip — a video
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. staff — employees
  12. bass — the fish
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — for paper
  17. degree — an amount
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — low music
  20. file — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rush — hurry
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. can — a tin

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