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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mate — a friend
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — to eat
  12. drill — army training
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — to breed
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chest — of your body
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chest — a box
  23. degree — temperature
  24. suit — clothes

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