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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. ground — crushed
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. lean — thin
  8. bank — of a river
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cap — a lid
  14. spell — magic
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ground — the earth
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spell — letters
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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