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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — a series
  6. land — a country
  7. degree — temperature
  8. band — a music group
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a ring
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. land — to come down
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — ground
  24. degree — an amount

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