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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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. rock — music
  3. scale — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — a stone
  6. scale — size or range
  7. march — music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bear — the animal
  11. degree — temperature
  12. march — the month
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bat — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. scale — for weighing

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