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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — a line
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mug — to rob
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. track — a path
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — to paddle
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. degree — temperature
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the fish
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mug — a face
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mug — a cup
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. leaves — of a tree

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