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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mug — a cup
  4. track — a song
  5. mug — a face
  6. swing — in golf
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. swing — to play on
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. row — a line
  19. degree — an amount
  20. swing — music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stand — to bear

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