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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bear — the animal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — employees
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bark — to shout
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mug — a face
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mug — to rob

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