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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — temperature
  4. band — a music group
  5. dip — to sink
  6. can — a tin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. file — a document
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a tool
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. can — a tin
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a ring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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