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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. club — for golf
  4. degree — temperature
  5. band — a ring
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — ground
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. land — to come down
  16. snap — to click
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. degree — from a university
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — for catching
  24. land — a country

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