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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pound — a weight
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — a tin
  11. craft — boats
  12. toast — bread
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. degree — from a university
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. can — a tin
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pound — to hit hard

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