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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spell — a short time
  4. file — a line of people
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. root — the cause
  8. file — a document
  9. foot — a measure
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spell — magic
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. rule — a law
  17. rash — a series
  18. rule — government
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spell — letters
  21. saw — the tool
  22. file — a tool
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rash — hasty

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