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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. degree — temperature
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — goods
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tube — a container
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. press — to push
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bound — obliged
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bound — tied together
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stock — shares
  24. hide — to keep secret

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