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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pop — soda
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — decided
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. firm — steady
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bat — the animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pop — to visit
  23. firm — a company
  24. degree — from a university

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