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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. degree — temperature
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wave — with your hand

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