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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 120 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: cell · degree · band · last · swing · fine · file · present

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. degree — an amount
  6. present — a gift
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. present — the time now
  10. band — a music group
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fine — all right
  14. file — a tool
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. degree — temperature
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. degree — from a university
  20. swing — in golf
  21. present — there
  22. last — final
  23. file — a document
  24. band — a ring

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