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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. file — a tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. file — a line of people
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a document
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. track — to keep track
  11. scale — size or range
  12. track — a song
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. scale — in music
  16. degree — temperature
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. track — a path
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. court — of law
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. court — of a king
  23. degree — an amount
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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