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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. degree — from a university
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. row — a line
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stock — goods
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. band — a ring
  12. swing — in golf
  13. content — happy
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stock — shares
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — an amount

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