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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. degree — temperature
  3. chest — a box
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rash — a series
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — to handle
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — hasty
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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