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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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rash — a series
  4. club — a group
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. cue — for pool
  9. last — final
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. track — a song
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pit — a hole
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pitch — completely
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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