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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. branch — a division
  5. roll — a list
  6. ground — a position
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. ground — the earth
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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