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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — to get on
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. board — a committee
  15. degree — temperature
  16. track — to keep track
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. band — a music group
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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