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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. degree — an amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. track — a path
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ball — a great time
  20. track — a song
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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