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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — low music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — a subject
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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