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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — a song
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bass — low music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — the fish
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rest — a break
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rest — what's left
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — to turn a key

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