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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a document
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — a song
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. degree — an amount
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mate — a friend
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mate — a partner
  17. track — a path
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bass — low music
  24. file — a tool

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