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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — low music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ball — a great time
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bulb — for light
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bass — the instrument

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