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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: row · rest · fine · track · ground · fan · degree · drill

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. rest — what's left
  6. row — a line
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rest — a break
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ground — the earth
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ground — a position
  24. track — a song

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