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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cue — a signal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — after costs
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rest — a break
  10. cue — for pool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — for catching
  20. bat — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. degree — temperature

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