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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. band — a ring
  9. file — a document
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. key — in music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cell — a phone
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — the most important part
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. key — for a lock
  19. band — a music group
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ball — a dance
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a rubber band

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