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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cap — a hat
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. mug — a face

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