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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: current · track · fine · date · chip · roll · degree · nail

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. degree — an amount
  3. roll — a cake
  4. chip — for betting
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fine — all right
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. current — happening now
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — electric
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fine — high quality
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chip — to eat
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. current — of water
  23. track — a path
  24. roll — a list

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