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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. land — ground
  4. mug — to rob
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — a country
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pop — music
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mug — a face
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mug — a cup
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. press — to push
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. press — a publisher
  23. land — to come down
  24. straw — dry grass

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