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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. net — in sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. net — for catching
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. season — in sport
  12. land — a country
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. land — ground
  16. shower — to wash
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. degree — an amount
  20. season — of the year
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. net — after costs
  24. saw — the tool

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