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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a document
  9. degree — from a university
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. net — after costs
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — for catching
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chip — for betting
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stand — to bear
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — temperature

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