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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
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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 · track · season · present · court · scale · bore · hide

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — for sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. scale — in music
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to drill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bore — to tire
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. degree — an amount
  15. present — there
  16. season — of the year
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — of a king
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — a path
  23. court — of law
  24. present — the time now

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