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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pop — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. firm — decided
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ground — a position
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — hasty
  13. firm — a company
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. track — a song
  17. firm — steady
  18. band — a music group
  19. club — a group
  20. ground — the earth
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pop — soda
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — for golf

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