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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — high quality
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — a practice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. degree — temperature
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chair — a leader
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fine — all right
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fine — a penalty

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