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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. dip — to sink
  3. face — to confront
  4. bound — certain
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bound — obliged
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. bound — tied together
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. kid — to tease
  17. file — a line of people
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — child

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