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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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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: tear · rock · bay · club · degree · dip · kid · drill

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kid — child
  7. drill — the tool
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. degree — temperature
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rock — music
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. rock — a stone
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tear — from crying
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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