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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — temperature
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — happy
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. degree — an amount
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — from a university

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