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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. degree — an amount
  3. can — to be able to
  4. track — a song
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bound — tied together
  11. track — to keep track
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. track — a path

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