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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: pitcher · pass · rock · wound · row · degree · calf · track

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wound — an injury
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. degree — temperature
  8. track — a song
  9. rock — music
  10. row — a line
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. track — a path
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. degree — from a university

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