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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. scale — size or range
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pop — soda
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. season — in sport
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fall — the season
  10. scale — in music
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. dip — to sink
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pop — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. dip — a sauce

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