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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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. deal — an agreement
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. firm — decided
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. firm — a company
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. firm — steady
  16. lean — thin
  17. file — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a line of people
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — to bend
  23. degree — temperature
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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