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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — in music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fine — all right
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pass — a permit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fine — high quality
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. degree — an amount
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — to sink
  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