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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rule — a law
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. hide — to keep secret

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