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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 116 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: bay · bass · face · cold · root · ball · degree · hand

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. root — the cause
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — not warm
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bass — the fish
  19. face — part of the head
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hand — help
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ball — a great time
  24. face — to point toward

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