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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a tool
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cold — not warm
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. degree — an amount
  24. foot — part of the body

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