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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a song
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. track — to keep track
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. roll — a list

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