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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cap — a lid
  8. degree — temperature
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a hat
  12. degree — an amount
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. spell — magic
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — the season
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — a song
  20. spring — a coil
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spring — of water

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