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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — temperature
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bank — for money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bank — of a river
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — an amount
  18. charge — in control
  19. bank — for money
  20. charge — electricity
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. game — a match
  24. file — a document

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