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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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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 · ball · tear · degree · tube · pit · face · march

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tear — to rip
  9. face — to confront
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a great time
  13. march — music
  14. file — a tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. degree — an amount
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. tube — a container
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pit — in a race

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