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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. track — to keep track
  3. snap — to click
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hand — in cards
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a document
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. track — a path
  12. net — for catching
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. net — after costs
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. file — a tool
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — a song
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ruler — a monarch

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