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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · sharp · pass · calf · track · bay · root · file

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. file — a tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a document
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. root — of a word
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pass — a permit
  12. root — the cause
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pass — to spend time

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