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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 124 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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468
Word bank
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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. file — a document
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. file — a tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fine — all right
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chest — a box
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. file — a line of people
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fine — high quality

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