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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. foot — a measure
  3. track — a song
  4. deal — to handle
  5. band — a music group
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — temperature
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. degree — from a university
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bank — for money
  14. band — a ring
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. track — to keep track
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. degree — an amount
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bank — of a river

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