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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ground — the earth
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ground — a position
  8. fine — all right
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. degree — temperature
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. foot — a measure
  18. 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