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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wind — moving air
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bass — the fish
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — to eat
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — a partner
  16. track — a song
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chip — for betting
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. track — a path
  22. foot — a measure
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — low 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