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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: track · stick · fall · net · degree · can · cap · mate

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — to breed
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mate — a friend
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — from a university
  20. net — for catching
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. net — in sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — an amount

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