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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: degree · row · kid · jam · staff · face · board · track

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — to keep track
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. board — to get on
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. board — a committee
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kid — child
  12. degree — temperature
  13. face — to confront
  14. track — a song
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. degree — from a university
  17. kid — to tease
  18. staff — employees
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. track — a path
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. face — part of the head
  23. row — to paddle
  24. staff — a stick

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