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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. suit — to fit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. suit — in cards
  9. degree — from a university
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pass — a permit
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to click
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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