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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. object — to protest
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lean — thin
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. object — an aim
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. object — a thing

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