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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — rain
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. degree — an amount
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. swing — music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. swing — to play on
  24. straw — dry grass

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