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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a ring
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. band — a music group
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. degree — from a university
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. dip — a sauce

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