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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 116 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 drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — a weight
  12. current — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. degree — an amount
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. current — electric
  24. rest — what's left

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