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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rock — music
  16. ground — a position
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — for sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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