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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. firm — steady
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — happy
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rest — a break
  16. content — the amount
  17. firm — decided
  18. pit — in a race
  19. firm — a company
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — an amount
  23. last — to go on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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