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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a document
  6. degree — from a university
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. court — of law
  9. stand — to bear
  10. foot — a measure
  11. present — there
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — a gift
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — the time now
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. file — a tool
  24. bat — in an idiom

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