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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. suit — in cards
  3. degree — from a university
  4. net — after costs
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — clothes
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — in sport
  9. file — a tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. net — for catching
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — to fit
  14. present — a gift
  15. file — a line of people
  16. degree — an amount
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. degree — temperature
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — of the year
  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