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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. present — there
  4. file — a tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. track — to keep track
  7. root — of a plant
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. club — for dancing
  17. present — the time now
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — a path
  20. club — for golf
  21. track — a song
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — a gift
  24. degree — temperature

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