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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. deal — to handle
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — an amount
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mark — a grade
  9. board — a committee
  10. rush — hurry
  11. board — to get on
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fine — all right
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. branch — a division
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. track — a path
  23. degree — temperature
  24. branch — of a bank

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