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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pop — music
  5. kick — in football
  6. lean — thin
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. track — a path
  9. pop — to visit
  10. degree — an amount
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pop — soda
  16. track — a song
  17. wake — a trail
  18. lean — to bend

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