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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pop — to visit
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. degree — an amount
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wax — to grow
  9. track — a path
  10. pop — music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. degree — from a university
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mate — to breed
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pop — soda
  24. wax — for sculpting

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