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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 116 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cue — for pool
  4. press — to push
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. bank — for money
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — hasty
  10. degree — from a university
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. net — after costs
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — a signal

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