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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bound — certain
  3. degree — temperature
  4. track — to keep track
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stock — goods
  8. bound — obliged
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pass — a permit
  14. track — a song
  15. degree — from a university
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. net — in sport
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stock — shares
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — an amount
  24. snap — to click

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