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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pit — in a race
  7. degree — from a university
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. spell — magic
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — temperature

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