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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.

Make a worksheet

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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bass — low music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. root — the cause
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — for catching
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a word
  16. march — music
  17. degree — an amount
  18. root — of a plant
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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