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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. last — to go on
  8. degree — an amount
  9. suit — in cards
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bear — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. suit — clothes
  17. last — final
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. bass — the fish
  22. dip — to sink
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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