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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. current — of water
  6. degree — temperature
  7. band — a ring
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — electric
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. band — a music group
  16. kick — in football
  17. current — happening now
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. degree — an amount
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. racket — a loud noise

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