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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chair — a leader
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pop — to visit
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pop — soda
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. degree — an amount
  16. pop — music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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