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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. degree — temperature
  7. land — a country
  8. rash — a series
  9. mate — a partner
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — to breed
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — help
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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