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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: bay · chair · key · degree · kid · lean · stick · track

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. key — for a lock
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. track — a song
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — to tease
  20. key — in music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — child

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