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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pop — music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. object — to protest
  6. pop — soda
  7. row — to paddle
  8. object — an aim
  9. deal — to handle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. row — a line
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pop — to visit
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — a path
  23. object — a thing
  24. bat — the animal

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