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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. last — final
  5. rush — hurry
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — to go on
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. board — to get on
  17. vault — a safe
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. lie — to recline
  23. board — a committee
  24. lie — an untruth

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