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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. staff — employees
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. staff — a stick
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for golf
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. stock — goods
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — shares
  19. club — a group
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. shower — rain
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. shower — to wash
  24. degree — an amount

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