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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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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: nail · file · dip · rest · racket · firm · row · degree

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. file — a document
  5. firm — a company
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — temperature
  8. row — to paddle
  9. firm — steady
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. row — a line
  12. firm — decided
  13. file — a tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rest — what's left
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. file — a line of people
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rest — what's left

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