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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. degree — an amount
  6. band — a music group
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. degree — from a university
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. degree — temperature
  14. kick — in football
  15. band — a ring
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. saw — the tool
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. band — a rubber band

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