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

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. degree — from a university
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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