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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · degree · wake · pop · coach · bay · mine · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pop — soda
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. degree — an amount
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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