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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bound — certain
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — an amount
  14. last — final
  15. degree — temperature
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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