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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. craft — boats
  3. degree — temperature
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. firm — steady
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. content — happy
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. firm — a company
  15. track — a path
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spring — the season
  18. content — the amount
  19. craft — a skill
  20. firm — decided
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — to keep track
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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