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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — after costs
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. last — to go on
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mug — a cup
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mug — a face
  22. prune — to trim
  23. last — finally
  24. bay — a horse colour

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