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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stand — to bear
  3. track — a path
  4. root — of a plant
  5. track — a song
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. root — of a word
  24. cap — a lid

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