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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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 — a part of the sea
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — a song
  4. degree — from a university
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — for money
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — of the year
  11. capital — money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — in sport
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bank — for money
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. capital — a city
  20. bank — of a river
  21. track — a path
  22. degree — temperature
  23. track — to keep track
  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