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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rush — hurry
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — to keep track
  6. degree — temperature
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. suit — in cards
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — a song
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — the fish
  20. suit — clothes
  21. track — a path
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chip — for betting

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