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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stock — goods
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stock — shares
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — an amount
  14. file — a document
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bear — the animal

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