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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. can — a tin
  4. pop — music
  5. spring — the season
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. spring — of water
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — a coil
  15. degree — from a university
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. degree — temperature
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — a committee
  21. pop — soda
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pop — to visit

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