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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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. wind — moving air
  3. shower — to wash
  4. object — a thing
  5. rush — hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. degree — an amount
  11. object — an aim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. degree — from a university
  14. object — to protest
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — rain
  24. degree — temperature

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