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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. root — of a plant
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — high quality
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — of a word
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — all right
  18. rest — what's left
  19. file — a tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. root — the cause

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