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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pit — in a race
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. can — a tin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. file — a tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. file — a document
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — a break
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rest — what's left
  20. file — a line of people
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — to keep track

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