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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. track — a path
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rest — a break
  9. track — a song
  10. rest — what's left
  11. degree — temperature
  12. present — a gift
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. can — a tin
  15. present — there
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wind — moving air
  19. degree — from a university
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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