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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. degree — temperature
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. degree — an amount
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — a country
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — shares
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — goods
  24. straw — dry grass

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