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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — a match
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. track — a song
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bass — low music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — wild animals
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. toast — bread
  19. degree — from a university
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. suit — to fit
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. track — to keep track

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