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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. degree — temperature
  8. press — a publisher
  9. content — happy
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. current — electric
  15. fork — in a road
  16. degree — from a university
  17. content — the amount
  18. current — of water
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. can — a tin
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — an amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. row — a line

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