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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. degree — temperature
  3. present — a gift
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — the time now
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. squash — the sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cell — in biology
  19. squash — to crush
  20. scale — in music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. present — there
  24. cell — a phone

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