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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. can — a tin
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. can — to be able to
  11. degree — an amount
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — temperature
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. degree — from a university
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bound — obliged

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