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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: leaves · roll · pound · ground · file · rock · degree · bay

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. file — a tool
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — the earth
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. roll — a list
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ground — a position
  18. roll — a cake
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. file — a document
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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