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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: swing · degree · track · rest · wake · fall · pitch · calf

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. degree — an amount
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a song
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rest — a break
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitch — completely
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — music
  23. track — a path
  24. fall — the season

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