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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · degree · fan · arm · wake · stock · mine · bay

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — temperature
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — goods
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mine — for digging

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