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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mug — a face
  4. chip — to eat
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. degree — from a university

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