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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: bay · object · bat · degree · fan · staff · mouse · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. ground — the earth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. object — an aim
  15. degree — from a university
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — the animal
  18. staff — employees
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. object — to protest
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. object — a thing
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — crushed

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