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

Word bank: mark · jam · track · snap · can · degree · foot · pop

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — a path
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. can — to be able to
  12. foot — a measure
  13. track — a song
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. degree — from a university
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — soda
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pop — music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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