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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — temperature
  10. land — ground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — to come down
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kid — to tease
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kid — child
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — a country
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. coach — a trainer

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