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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spell — letters
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. spell — magic
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chest — a box
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. spell — a short time
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mate — to breed

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