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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: kid · track · swing · can · jam · degree · wind · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. track — to keep track
  3. can — a tin
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. track — a song
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. track — a path
  10. swing — in golf
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — a tin
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. can — to be able to
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wind — moving air
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. degree — from a university

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