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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. branch — a division
  3. kid — child
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. track — to keep track
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. track — a song
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. net — after costs
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bass — low music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bass — the fish

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