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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: bay · jam · rest · row · stick · cap · degree · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. row — a line
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. degree — temperature
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cap — a lid
  20. row — to paddle
  21. degree — from a university
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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