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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. last — finally
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. degree — temperature
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mate — a friend
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wind — moving air
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. last — final
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pound — a weight

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