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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — to rob
  5. last — to go on
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a document
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rule — government
  13. mug — a face
  14. rule — a law
  15. mug — a cup
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. can — a tin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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