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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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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: track · hand · bay · dip · roll · stock · band · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. degree — from a university
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. band — a music group
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. roll — a list
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stock — shares
  17. track — to keep track
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. stock — goods
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. band — a ring
  24. degree — an amount

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