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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mate — to breed
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rash — hasty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rest — a break
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. rash — a series
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. shower — rain
  24. rash — on the skin

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