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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.

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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: bowl · degree · fall · file · bark · pit · arm · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. file — a tool
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pit — a hole
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. file — a document
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — to drop
  17. degree — from a university
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fall — the season

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