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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · hand · degree · fan · swing · safe · capital · present

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — money
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. file — a line of people
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — temperature
  10. file — a document
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. hand — in cards
  16. degree — an amount
  17. capital — a city
  18. present — there
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. present — the time now
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a tool
  23. swing — to play on
  24. safe — a strongbox

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