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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: degree · ball · track · arm · plane · pound · pop · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ball — a dance
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ball — a great time
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pop — to visit
  15. last — finally
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. pop — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. last — to go on
  24. ball — a round shape

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