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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 124 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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tear — to rip
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. degree — temperature
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. tear — from crying
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. board — to get on
  24. bass — low music

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