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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — in control
  4. file — a tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bound — tied together
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. field — a subject
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. field — for sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bound — certain
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. degree — an amount
  19. file — a line of people
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — obliged
  24. calf — a young animal

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