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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. file — a tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. pit — in a race
  11. court — of law
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — for sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pit — a hole
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — of a king
  22. file — a document
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. swing — music

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