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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bat — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — from a university
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. row — a line
  13. degree — temperature
  14. can — to be able to
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. degree — an amount

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