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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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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: arm · file · mouse · degree · track · object · pound · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. object — a thing
  3. track — a path
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pound — a weight
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. file — a document
  11. cell — in biology
  12. object — to protest
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — a song
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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