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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. degree — an amount
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rest — what's left
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mate — a friend
  9. stand — to bear
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mate — a partner
  12. degree — from a university
  13. land — ground
  14. rest — a break
  15. land — a country
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rest — what's left
  24. land — to come down

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