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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. track — to keep track
  7. branch — a division
  8. suit — clothes
  9. degree — temperature
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — from a university
  12. suit — to fit
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. snap — to click
  16. suit — in cards
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. track — a path
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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