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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fine — all right
  6. track — a song
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — temperature
  12. fine — high quality
  13. charge — in control
  14. mate — to breed
  15. charge — a price
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. track — a path
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — an amount
  23. shower — rain
  24. bay — a horse colour

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