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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — after costs
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — for catching
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spring — the season
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. degree — an amount
  17. spring — a coil
  18. drill — army training
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — of water
  22. net — in sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. degree — from a university

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