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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rush — hurry
  6. degree — an amount
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. dip — to sink
  12. stock — goods
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitch — completely
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. season — of the year

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