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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. hand — in cards
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bass — low music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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