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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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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: rule · track · ruler · clip · degree · swing · pop · key

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. key — in music
  4. pop — soda
  5. track — a path
  6. rule — government
  7. degree — temperature
  8. key — the most important part
  9. swing — in golf
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — to cut
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pop — music
  18. rule — a law
  19. pop — to visit
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rule — to rule out

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