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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bass — low music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bass — the fish
  14. charge — a price
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rock — music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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