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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mark — a trace
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — of the year
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. clip — a video
  18. season — in sport
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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