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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bank — for money
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kid — child
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — to fit
  10. field — for sport
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. field — farmland
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. kid — to tease
  18. suit — in cards
  19. degree — an amount
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. suit — clothes

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