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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. land — ground
  3. charge — in control
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. degree — from a university
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. land — to come down
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tear — from crying
  17. land — a country
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. degree — temperature
  22. foot — a measure
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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