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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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. chip — to eat
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. object — a thing
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. degree — temperature
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bark — to shout
  20. object — to protest
  21. swing — music
  22. object — an aim
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. track — a song

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