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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. degree — temperature
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wax — to grow
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cue — for pool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — the animal

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