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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: cap · ruler · nail · spring · roll · sharp · degree · track

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. roll — a cake
  3. track — to keep track
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. track — a path
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cap — a lid
  9. roll — a list
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cap — of ice
  15. spring — of water
  16. degree — an amount
  17. track — a song
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. nail — for a hammer

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