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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. present — the time now
  6. degree — from a university
  7. tear — from crying
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mine — for digging
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — there
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. scale — in music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. present — a gift
  19. wake — a trail
  20. hand — help
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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