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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: firm · tear · degree · pitch · track · safe · staff · mark

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mark — a trace
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tear — from crying
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — completely
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — a grade
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. degree — temperature
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — to rip
  17. track — a path
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. staff — employees
  21. firm — a company
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. firm — decided
  24. safe — out of danger

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