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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. roll — a cake
  3. degree — an amount
  4. snap — to click
  5. roll — a list
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — temperature
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. press — to push
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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