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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — of a king
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — a contest
  5. track — a song
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. court — for sport
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. degree — from a university
  15. firm — decided
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. track — a path
  20. court — of law
  21. degree — temperature
  22. date — the fruit
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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