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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a lid
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. track — a path
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. track — a song
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. degree — from a university
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mark — a grade
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chair — a leader
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stock — goods
  24. mark — a trace

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