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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. court — of a king
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. degree — temperature
  7. court — of law
  8. shower — rain
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. court — for sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bear — the animal
  24. dip — to dunk

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