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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — a permit
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. degree — from a university
  15. track — a song
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. degree — temperature
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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