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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: fork · track · trunk · degree · lie · file · sharp · ground

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. file — a tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. track — a path
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. file — a document
  20. track — a song
  21. ground — a position
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ground — crushed
  24. lie — an untruth

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