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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 124 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. band — a ring
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. march — the month
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mate — a partner
  11. march — the month
  12. bat — the animal
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mate — to breed
  15. game — a match
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mate — a friend
  18. march — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. band — a music group
  24. mug — a cup

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