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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fall — to drop
  5. suit — clothes
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. fall — the season
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fall — to drop
  17. suit — to fit
  18. capital — money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. degree — from a university
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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