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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. degree — an amount
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. rock — a stone
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — part of the head
  8. file — a tool
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. face — to point toward
  11. file — a line of people
  12. degree — temperature
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rock — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. tube — the underground
  22. kick — in football
  23. tube — a container
  24. rock — to move gently

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