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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. track — a path
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fork — in a road
  10. cue — a hint
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ball — a great time
  13. charge — electricity
  14. scale — size or range
  15. snap — to click
  16. charge — in control
  17. scale — in music
  18. cue — a signal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ball — a dance
  22. charge — a price
  23. cue — for pool
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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