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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. clip — a video
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bat — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. clip — for paper
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. degree — from a university
  23. branch — a division
  24. calf — of the leg

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