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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pop — soda
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pop — to visit
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a song
  16. mug — a face
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. degree — from a university
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a match
  22. band — a music group
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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