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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. degree — an amount
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mouse — the animal

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