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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. degree — temperature
  4. track — a song
  5. squash — the sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. track — to keep track
  10. branch — a division
  11. squash — to crush
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a great time
  14. net — after costs
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. track — a path
  18. ball — a dance
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. net — for catching
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — in sport

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