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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stem — to come from
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. file — a document
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ball — a dance
  17. degree — an amount
  18. club — for golf
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. shower — rain
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rock — a stone

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