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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: degree · pass · stock · cold · leaves · file · plane · roll

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. stock — shares
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. file — a tool
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cold — an illness
  11. file — a document
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. pass — a permit
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. degree — from a university
  20. plane — a tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. roll — a list

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