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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pit — in a race
  12. degree — from a university
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — money
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pass — a permit
  24. capital — a big letter

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