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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: deal · foot · spell · nail · march · degree · swing · track

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. swing — in golf
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — to play on
  9. foot — a measure
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. degree — an amount
  14. swing — music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spell — letters
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. march — music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. march — the month
  23. track — to keep track
  24. nail — for a hammer

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