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

Word bank: bear · mark · staff · rule · racket · bay · degree · chest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — a law
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mark — a trace
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mark — a grade
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. staff — employees

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