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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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. rest — what's left
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. firm — steady
  6. chest — of your body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a tool
  9. firm — a company
  10. rest — a break
  11. firm — decided
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chest — a box
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rest — what's left
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. file — a line of people
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. chest — of your body

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