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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — steady
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pass — a permit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. land — a country
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. chip — for betting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bat — the animal
  24. firm — decided

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