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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. club — for golf
  3. degree — an amount
  4. club — a group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. club — for dancing
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. degree — temperature
  10. ground — a position
  11. mug — a face
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. ground — crushed
  14. tube — a container
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mug — a cup
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tube — the underground
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mug — to rob

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