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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hand — help
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. band — a ring
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fine — all right
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — for golf
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — an amount

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