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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bass — low music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tear — to rip
  16. season — in sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — the season
  23. season — of the year
  24. bass — the instrument

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