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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. track — a path
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. swing — to play on
  6. degree — from a university
  7. drill — army training
  8. swing — in golf
  9. degree — an amount
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — a song
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. drill — the tool
  18. swing — music
  19. court — of a king
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — temperature
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to dunk
  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