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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. degree — temperature
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to point toward
  9. club — for dancing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — to be able to
  13. degree — an amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. club — for golf
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. club — a group
  19. pit — in a race
  20. degree — from a university
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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