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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. land — ground
  3. spell — letters
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — an amount
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — a country
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mug — a cup
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spell — a short time
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — to come down
  24. spell — magic

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