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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. file — a document
  3. shower — to wash
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. file — a line of people
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rock — a stone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rock — music

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