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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fine — all right
  4. ball — a great time
  5. degree — an amount
  6. march — the month
  7. fine — high quality
  8. march — music
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. dip — to sink
  13. march — the month
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. band — a ring
  18. craft — boats
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. band — a music group
  21. craft — a skill
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fine — a penalty

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