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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: ball · degree · spring · track · key · pitch · jam · firm

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. track — a path
  4. spring — the season
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. key — for a lock
  10. firm — a company
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. firm — steady
  16. degree — an amount
  17. spring — of water
  18. track — to keep track
  19. firm — decided
  20. key — the most important part
  21. track — a song
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. key — in music
  24. jam — in traffic

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