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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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Word bank
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. degree — temperature
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — in cards
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. toast — bread
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. degree — an amount
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fan — a supporter

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