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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rule — government
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. track — a path
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fine — all right
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. track — a song
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rule — a law
  22. fine — high quality
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. foot — part of the body

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