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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: tear · season · degree · foot · coach · jam · arm · bay

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. degree — an amount
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — from a university
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. degree — temperature
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tear — to rip
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — in sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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