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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · leaves · cap · degree · pit · fine · wound · fan

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — temperature
  13. file — a tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fine — all right
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fine — high quality
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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