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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a path
  3. mug — a cup
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. suit — to fit
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. chair — a leader
  14. suit — in cards
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. file — a document
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rule — government
  20. file — a line of people
  21. suit — clothes
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rule — a law
  24. file — a tool

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