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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. track — a song
  4. stem — to come from
  5. degree — temperature
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fine — all right
  8. shower — to wash
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. club — for golf
  14. shower — rain
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. track — a path
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fine — high quality
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. club — a group
  24. degree — from a university

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