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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: shower · degree · suit · track · board · roll · mate · fork

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mate — a partner
  4. board — to get on
  5. suit — in cards
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. board — a committee
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. degree — temperature
  12. roll — a list
  13. degree — an amount
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. shower — rain
  17. suit — clothes
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fork — in a road
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. mate — to breed
  22. suit — to fit
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — to keep track

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