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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — temperature
  6. capital — money
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. firm — a company
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — in music
  11. track — a song
  12. degree — an amount
  13. firm — decided
  14. ball — a great time
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — steady
  17. ball — a dance
  18. degree — from a university
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. swing — in golf
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. swing — music

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