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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — to breed
  9. press — to push
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mate — a friend
  14. degree — temperature
  15. file — a tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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