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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — for pool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. drill — a practice
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kick — in football
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. drill — army training
  24. kick — with a leg

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