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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. track — to keep track
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. file — a line of people
  5. sharp — clever
  6. degree — temperature
  7. track — a song
  8. mug — a face
  9. file — a tool
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a music group
  12. mug — a cup
  13. can — a tin
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. file — a document
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a ring
  18. can — to be able to
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — from a university

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