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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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. degree — an amount
  3. race — a contest
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — to come down
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bass — low music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. race — the arms race
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — ground
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. race — humankind
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mate — a partner
  24. safe — out of danger

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