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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mate — a friend
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. degree — from a university
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. degree — temperature
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. sharp — clever
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — with an edge

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