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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rash — a series
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rush — hurry
  9. board — to get on
  10. pop — to visit
  11. board — a committee
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. pop — soda
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pop — music
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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