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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — after costs
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bound — obliged
  6. net — in sport
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pop — music
  10. bound — certain
  11. ground — the earth
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. net — for catching
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bound — tied together
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. date — the fruit

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