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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fork — in a road
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a friend
  15. land — to come down
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lie — to recline
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. land — a country
  24. bulb — for light

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