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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · suit · pitch · degree · file · mug · band · face

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. file — a document
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — the season
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. degree — from a university
  9. suit — to fit
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. degree — temperature
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — clothes
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — completely
  17. mug — to rob
  18. file — a tool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mug — a face
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — a sports field

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