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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. degree — an amount
  5. board — to get on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — to tire
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. file — a document
  11. pitch — completely
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a committee
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rest — what's left
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. rest — a break
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rest — what's left
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mine — an explosive

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