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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mug — to rob
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pop — soda
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. mug — a cup

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