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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ground — crushed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. last — to go on
  8. staff — employees
  9. track — a song
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ground — the earth
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. object — an aim
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — final
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. ground — a position
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. object — a thing
  23. tube — the underground
  24. track — a path

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