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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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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: fan · leaves · swing · file · chip · degree · mine · bay

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. swing — music
  12. file — a line of people
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. chip — for betting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — from a university

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