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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. drill — army training
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. field — for sport
  7. degree — an amount
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. squash — the sport
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. squash — to crush
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rush — hurry

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