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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mark — a grade
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mark — a trace
  22. game — a match
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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