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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. present — the time now
  5. can — a tin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bat — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. fork — in a road
  10. present — a gift
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. present — there
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stand — to bear
  20. file — a tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stand — for spectators

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