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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. degree — temperature
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. roll — a cake
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. row — a line
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. roll — a list
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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