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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. track — to keep track
  3. march — music
  4. net — after costs
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — a song
  7. row — to paddle
  8. degree — from a university
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. row — a line
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. net — in sport
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. degree — an amount
  18. net — for catching
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ball — a great time
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. track — a path
  24. chip — to eat

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