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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — from a university
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — to be able to
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. present — the time now
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. can — a tin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — there
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — an amount
  24. racket — a loud noise

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