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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fork — in a road
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bass — low music
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bass — the fish
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — in football
  24. fall — the season

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