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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tube — the underground
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. land — to come down
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. spell — magic
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. tube — a container
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. degree — from a university

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