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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: track · fall · roll · swing · pit · mine · degree · bound

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bound — certain
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. roll — a list
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. fall — the season
  15. mine — for digging
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bound — obliged
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pit — in a race
  24. swing — to play on

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