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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — for catching
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. net — after costs
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — a leader
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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