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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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 — an amount
  3. net — after costs
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. present — the time now
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to click
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. present — a gift
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. net — for catching
  14. chest — a box
  15. degree — from a university
  16. net — in sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bulb — for light
  20. present — there
  21. foot — a measure
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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