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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. file — a line of people
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — from a university
  10. file — a tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. bear — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cap — a hat
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pop — music

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