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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — an amount
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. degree — from a university
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — to sink
  13. track — to keep track
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pound — a weight
  17. track — a path
  18. club — for dancing
  19. degree — temperature
  20. track — a song
  21. club — a group
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stem — a stem cell

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