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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. file — a document
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. key — for a lock
  8. degree — temperature
  9. key — in music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a tool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. file — a line of people
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pass — a permit
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. leaves — of a tree

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