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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 120 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: rash · degree · drill · rest · snap · row · suit · track

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. track — a path
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. suit — in cards
  12. degree — from a university
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — hasty
  16. drill — army training
  17. snap — to click
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. suit — clothes
  21. rash — a series
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. row — a line

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