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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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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: can · saw · bay · mug · toast · land · degree · march

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. degree — temperature
  5. saw — the tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — ground
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mug — to rob
  14. degree — from a university
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. mug — a face
  17. toast — bread
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. march — music
  20. degree — an amount
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. can — to be able to
  23. land — a country
  24. march — the month

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