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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.

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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: deal · saw · chest · jam · rest · file · craft · degree

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. craft — a skill
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. file — a tool
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rest — what's left
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. deal — to handle
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chest — a box
  17. rest — what's left
  18. degree — an amount
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. craft — boats
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rest — a break

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