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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to tire
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bore — to drill

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