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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: bay · temple · degree · wound · file · pass · fork · nail

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. file — a tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fork — in a road

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