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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — a grade
  6. firm — steady
  7. track — to keep track
  8. firm — decided
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. suit — to fit
  11. saw — the tool
  12. firm — a company
  13. bank — for money
  14. spring — of water
  15. degree — temperature
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — a coil
  21. track — a path
  22. degree — from a university
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a song

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