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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. land — ground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — a country
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bound — certain
  12. degree — an amount
  13. game — wild animals
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. degree — from a university

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