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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. track — a song
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. degree — an amount
  7. scale — size or range
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bass — low music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — in music
  16. track — a path
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cap — a hat
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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