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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: roll · hand · pop · stick · chair · clip · degree · track

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — a path
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. degree — temperature
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pop — soda
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — help
  13. track — to keep track
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. chair — a leader
  17. degree — an amount
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. track — a song
  23. pop — music
  24. roll — a list

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