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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hand — help
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — from a university
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wake — a trail
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — in cards
  18. degree — temperature
  19. season — in sport
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. race — the arms race
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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