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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. degree — an amount
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — from a university
  13. net — for catching
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cue — a signal
  24. net — after costs

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