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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. degree — temperature
  3. net — in sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. last — finally
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. net — after costs
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. last — final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. firm — steady
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — a company
  16. track — a path
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a song
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. firm — decided
  21. degree — from a university
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. shower — to wash

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