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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pop — music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pop — soda
  21. stem — to come from
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rock — music

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