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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hand — in cards
  6. degree — an amount
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. hand — help
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — in music
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fine — all right
  21. root — of a word
  22. tear — to rip
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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