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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. charge — in control
  4. bass — low music
  5. pop — soda
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — the fish
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. charge — a price
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — of ice
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — a hat
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hide — to keep secret

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