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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bat — the animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. root — the cause
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bank — for money
  18. pit — in a race
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — an amount
  22. root — of a word
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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