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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wind — moving air
  3. degree — temperature
  4. season — of the year
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — in sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mate — to breed
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — a horse colour

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