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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. degree — from a university
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mate — a partner
  11. perch — the fish
  12. board — a committee
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mate — to breed
  17. degree — an amount
  18. press — newspapers
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. press — to push
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — temperature

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