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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bass — low music
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spell — a short time
  5. degree — temperature
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ground — a position
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bass — the fish
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. degree — from a university
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — letters
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spell — magic

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