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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hand — help
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. degree — temperature
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. degree — from a university
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bass — the fish
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — low music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. track — a song

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