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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bass — the fish
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pop — music
  11. spring — of water
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — to visit
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — low music
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — the season
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. patient — a sick person

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