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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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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: dip · bass · current · chest · court · snap · degree · bay

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. current — happening now
  3. chest — of your body
  4. court — of a king
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. dip — to sink
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chest — a box
  10. current — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. snap — to click
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — electric
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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