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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chest — a box
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to sink
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — an amount
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — in cards

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