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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — of the year
  4. club — a group
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rule — government
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. degree — from a university
  9. shower — rain
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rest — a break
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — to wash
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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