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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · track · kid · calf · jam · degree

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kid — to tease
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. degree — from a university
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. track — a path
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. degree — temperature
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. track — a song
  18. mark — a grade

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