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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. degree — an amount
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a song
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ground — a position
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — out of danger
  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