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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 124 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. firm — steady
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. track — a path
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. track — a song
  8. firm — a company
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — in a road
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. firm — decided
  17. plane — a tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. track — to keep track
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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