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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bass — the fish
  6. degree — from a university
  7. can — a tin
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mine — for digging
  15. game — a match
  16. bass — low music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. current — happening now
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — a straw man

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