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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. craft — boats
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — employees
  10. row — a line
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. degree — temperature
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. foot — a measure
  22. staff — a stick
  23. row — to paddle
  24. degree — from a university

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