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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bat — the animal
  4. track — a song
  5. bass — low music
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. track — to keep track
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. rash — hasty
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — an amount
  18. track — a path
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fine — all right
  22. craft — a skill
  23. fine — high quality
  24. game — wild animals

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