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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — an illness
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — a company
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cold — not warm
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bear — the animal
  16. firm — decided
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. firm — steady
  19. swing — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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