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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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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitch — completely
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rush — hurry
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. land — to come down
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a tool
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. degree — from a university
  15. toast — bread
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. file — a line of people
  24. land — ground

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