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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. track — a path
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. club — for dancing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. shower — to wash
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. track — to keep track
  15. degree — from a university
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. club — for golf
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. degree — temperature
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. degree — an amount
  24. track — a song

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