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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pit — a hole
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rock — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pit — in a race
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — help
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bark — to shout
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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